A former anesthesiologist who contributed to the death of Krista Stryland was a no-show at a disciplinary proceeding where he was scheduled to be publicly reprimanded.

But a panel of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario nevertheless went ahead with its reprimand of Dr. Bruce Liberman on Tuesday and rebuked the former specialist for a litany of blunders that figured significantly in the 2007 death of the 32-year-old woman.

Speaking to Liberman as though he were present, panel chair Dr. Eric Stanton said a disciplinary committee was struck by his lack of insight in the hours that Stryland was under his care at the Toronto Cosmetic Clinic.

“You failed to ensure that your patient was stable on entry to the recovery room. You did not adequately evaluate the signs that she was deteriorating. You failed to treat her deterioration appropriately,” Stanton said.

“You failed to recognize the limitations of what could be done in your outpatient setting when adverse events occurred. You failed to call for help in a timely manner, even though a hospital was only a few minutes away. Your clinical decision-making and conduct were incomprehensible to the panel,” he continued.

Stryland, a mother and real estate agent, bled excessively following the surgery. The committee found that Liberman delayed calling 911, and when paramedics finally did arrive, they found Stryland lying in a pool of blood with no vital signs.

Separate disciplinary committees found both Liberman and Dr. Behnaz Yazdanfar — who actually did the liposuction — guilty of incompetence and professional misconduct.

Liberman was stripped of his medical licence, while Yazdanfar had hers suspended for two years and was barred indefinitely from practising surgery.

Both appealed the disciplinary decisions to the Ontario Divisional Court.

This past June, the court dismissed Liberman’s appeal, paving the way for the public reprimand to proceed. The reprimand was intended to allow the committee and medical profession to express their abhorrence of Liberman’s actions and to serve as a deterrent.

“These actions contributed to the fact that a young boy will grow up without his mother, and the other members of her family will miss out on her love and support and companionship,” Stanton said.

He said the disciplinary panel found it “shocking” that Liberman altered Stryland’s medical chart, removing his original resuscitation note and replacing it with another that downplayed her plummeting vital signs.

“Such dishonesty and lack of integrity is completely inconsistent with what the public expects of physicians, and in fact, with what members of this profession expect of their peers,” Stanton said.